My Wild Beast-Chapter 81: The Call of Tayun (4)

Yoa growled at the Croc, his hand closing on the totem behind him, muscles bracing to face him. His inner beast rippled against his skin, aching to be unleashed on the reptile who had killed so ruthlessly, and to someone who’d thought him to be their friend. The dishonour and wrongness of it clawed at him, twisting his instincts into fury, sharpening his nails into claws, golden eyes glowing in warning.

A low rumble rolled from Sahco, sending ripples across the rising water. But his eyes glinted with amusement as his jaw snapped shut, a whoosh of air sweeping across Yoa’s face from their close proximity. The young cub didn’t flinch, holding the Croc’s gaze.

Sahco swam past him and sank his teeth into the crocodile totem, then cast a sideways glance at the nearby Takaru. His body slid beneath the surface, leaving only his eyes above water—watching, waiting, hunting.

The totems remained firmly stuck in the ground as the water swallowed them up. Panic shortened Yoa’s breath as the last of any light from outside flickered from the narrow entrance to the cave. He grabbed his totem and kicked his feet, eyes targeted to make it out of the cove filling up and essentially will drown them.

He was halfway through across the vast cove, his heart racing, arms straining with his rapid and powerful movements to escape.

A loud splash echoed in the cave.

The Takaru had leapt into the water to grab his totem, risking his life for the spot of becoming Tayun’s guardian.

Sahco sprung towards him and the monkey screeched out in alarm, scrambling to get purchase on the cave wall and away from the crocodile’s jaw.

He kept slipping and the limited space was drawing higher, ready to swallow them all.

It was clear who would outswim the other. In these remaining seconds, the Takaru’s life would be claimed by a crocodile whose only reasoning to kill them was to elimate his competition.

Yoa’s head whipped back when there was another loud splash, and violent thrashing. The thin layer of stone surrounding his heard cracked. In a split-second decision, his spine rippled with his beast surging forwards and he shifted into his jaguar form.

The totem was forgotten and his goal forgotten, he surged forward.

It wasn’t right. He didn’t care about winning. What Sahco was doing wasn’t right.

If they were in the wild and the Takaru had fallen prey into the Apatka lands, then it was acceptable, and his fate would have been sealed if he couldn’t escape the hungry crocodiles’ clutches. But this right here was just murder.

Yoa swam back to Sahco and dove beneath the surface, finding the monkey had stuffed it’s totem vertically between the crocodile’s jaws and sprung out of it just as he snapped it shut, breaking the wood. It splintered in the water from the impact sending shards around them.

Before Sahco could catch up to the fleeing monkey whose limbs moved rapidly but couldn’t quite move very far that quick, Yoa sprung onto the crocodile, his jaw snapping onto his neck and claws sinking into the his eyes.

A hiss passed through his jaw, and his pursuit stopped, and began turning like a tornado on the spot, dizzying Yoa until he flung off and hit into the cave wall slowly.

Only one of the crocodile’s eyes worked with a minimal injury in the corner of it while his other eye bled into the salt water. Yoa’s claws scratched at the cave wall as he held his breath, glaring at Sahco, distracting him as the spider monkey made a slow escape.

Sahco hissed at him and shot forwards, the water propelling around him in a powerful stroke. But he passed Yoa again, retreating with his prize and swimming torwards the cave entrance below water.

Yoa glanced at the Takaru who managed to resurface, but he couldn’t swim that fast. Yoa swam to meet him, mouth opening, ignoring the spider’s high-pitched screech and fists slamming onto his face. His jaw clamped around his body and he kicked off the cave wall, inhaling deeply just as the water filled to the brim.

It was a race against the use of air working around his body now. With powerful strokes of his limbs, Yoa swam through the cave. He dove lower to go beneath the archway of the entrance. As soon as he exited it, the current dragged them out. In a flurry, he spun around from the force of the sea. He didn’t know what way was up.But he managed to hold onto the monkey still.

His lungs burned, and screamed for air, but his limbs kicked with all his might. This isn’t how he would die. This wasn’t the end. It didn’t matter if he lost at this trial. At least his conscience was mostly clear.

The burst through the surface of the sea and he gasped for air. The spider coughed then swam around to cling to the back of Yoa’s neck. The sea was choppy now. The skies had grown dark.

There at the white sandy beach, Sahco grinned triumphantly, holding his totem and offering it to their guide. The cloaked figure kept his arms by his sides, watching Yoa swim back to shore, carrying the Takaru. By the time they made it back to the shallow water, the waves crashing against his back, his tail swishing back and forth, his limbs shook from adrenaline, his fatigue and failing the trial.

Yoa dropped his head and the Takaru dropped to the sand, his head also dipping in disappointment. Yoa lay down, closing his eyes and catching his breath, defeat slumping his body before he shifted back into his human form. Salt and sand clung to his hair and body as he sat back, chest still rising and falling heavily, but his breathing calmed, eyes cast down at the guide’s hidden feet.

"Congratulations," said the guide. Yoa didn’t raise his head. He didn’t want to see Sahco’s smug expression. He’d killed another Marked child and tried to kill the boy beside him all so he could win and become Tayun’s guardian.

There was no honour in that, and if he truly became the guardian, Yoa would never heed to him.

"To abandon another in need is to pass in the eyes of many," the guide continued. Yoa’s brows tugged together, unsure where he was going with this. "But the island chooses those who choose others."

Yoa’s eyes rose, questions swarming in them. Sahco tilted his head, watching the guide with a scowl as he stood directly in front of Yoa.

What was going on?

Water dripped down his folded legs from his locks as he stared back at the shadowed figure.

"The ocean gives, and takes. What you claim, you might lose if you put others first. But what you gain may be greater." The guide turned his palm over and the jaguar totem appeared from nowhere. He offered it to Yoa, placing it in his hand, and holding it steady. "This was a test of selflessness and moral courage. You passed."

Yoa’s eyes widened as he felt warm mist sink into the palm of his hand from the totem merge into his blood, flourishing around his body. The cold in his bones stopped, and the scratches on his back healed.

"What?!" Sahco threw his totem to the ground. It bounced off then vanished into thin air. The guide bowed to them, one fist placed to his chest then he turned, walking away and fading into thin air, the footprints in the sand swept away by the breeze.

The trio stared in shock, even Sahco whose fists were balled up in frustration. He collapsed to his knees, one eye still bleeding as he stared down at his hands, the weight of his failure falling onto his shoulders.

Yoa felt no ounce of sympathy for him as he rose to his feet, staring at the totem in his hand.

"Thank you," said the Takaru, who’d wandered to his side. He was in his human form again and had a bloodied gash on the side of his shoulder from fighting off Sahco.

"No problem." Yoa turned from him, needing to rest. He ventured back to the forest.

"Name’s Chitaka by the way." The spider monkey caught up to him, his steps quick by Yoa’s side to keep up his pace. "You saved my life, and I won’t forget it. If you ever need anything, find me."

Yoa nodded, unaware of the long-term friend he’d just made. "Yoa."

Yoa was the only Marked one to pass the second trial in this group.

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